Me & NEC

My life with the Turbo Grafx-16

An empty tree with little to no presents and a distraught boy heads for bed.

December 25, 1989 7:30am EST

An NEC "Turbo Grafx-16" console falls down the chimney on Christmas morning.

The boy is once again happy.

It's actual domestic launch date was in August......so it was still a fairly unknown hype machine when it launched head to head against the new Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

Move over Shigeru Miyamoto!

The PC-Engine in Japan or TG-16 in the United States became a new alternative to the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo and the aging 8 bit Nintendo Entertainment System.

NEC licensed technology from "Hudson Soft", a video game manufacturer, to create a video game console. It also happened to be less expensive at launch than the Genesis.

In actuality, the system had only a 8 bit CPU, with a 16 bit graphics card. So it had the NES/Sega Master System aesthetics with a visual Genesis-esque flare.

Between the NES still pumping out games, the Genesis vs. SNES debate, and the slow support of game developers for the TG-16, it is no wonder why it never lasted more than 5 years.

NEC and Hudson Soft ended up developing most of the games and it proved too little when other software companies ventured to the more popular SEGA and SNES. Most game developers only wanted to create titles for the most popular systems......so the TG-16 was beat out ever time by the big 2.

Included in the system came a single two button controller. The "TurboPad" was very similar to the Nintendo directional pad.

However, instead of an "A" and "B" button it had a "I" and "II". Also, the "start" button was replaced with "run" and on the top of the controller it had an adjustable turbo switch for each button. It shared turbo qualities akin to the NES "Max" and/or "Advantage."

This was the definitive system for only children like myself due to the lack of controller ports. You had to buy the "Turbo tap" to have 2 or up to 5 players join in a game. Pretty lame, because I knew only 2 people with TG-16's yet we couldn't bring pads over and play each other because of this stipulation.

On a happier note.....

Gone are the bulky plastic cartridges.

The TG-16 games were on sleek, small, pocket-sized Hu Cards.

The "Hu cards" came in CD jewel cases with a game booklet and plastic sleeve. "Hu card" or "Hudson card" was developed by Hudson Soft and was also known as the "Turbo Chip" in North America.

NEC's foray into the handheld market demolished the Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear and Nintendo Gameboy.

It was the Turbo Express and it played all of the console games. Graphically superior and more convenient than the competitors.

Only years later would Sega release the "Nomad" which copied NEC's overall concept by being able to play Genesis games portably.

One cool thing was the fact that you could watch TV on the Turbo Express via the tuner.........however........it consumed batteries faster than a sad girl eating ice cream.

Good idea........only it cost nearly $300 in 1990! Ouch!I had one but I sold it on Ebay in 2000 with all of my games for a good amount.

The Turbo Duo, which played the CD games, was equally impressive back then. Though it had very good games, the price and lack of consumer awareness killed it.

My biggest gripe was that I could never find a place that rented Hu cards. Every game I had to purchase blindly from "Montgomery Ward" or "Toy's R Us."

Below I listed a few games I owned, with a little summary describing my recolections of the title.

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Keith Courage in Alpha Zones

This is a good but very repetitive title where the hero Keith Courage must avenge his father's death by ridding the world of the evil and poorly named B.A.D. gang. This was the original pack in game for the Turbografx-16 and although the game was decent enough, it really failed to spark up interest for the system. You start as human walking to the right in a village.....a rainbow appears and turns you into a midget Gundam robot.

You have a sword and can shoot bombs out as well. It's a hack and slash game that is more fun now than it was when I was a kid.

Double Dungeons

This is a totally boring dungeon based RPG much like the older "Might and Magic" series. This ugly 3D role playing game would have been decent if I didn't get lost all the time because everything looks the same and there should have been some kind of in game map system to guide the gamer as well. Double Dungeons may be one of the few role playing games on the system but this is no Final Fantasy or Y's!

It sucks in so many ways. Booooring! Thanks Grandma!

China Warrior

China Warrior is a very limited side scrolling beat'em up starring some fighter who looks very similar to Bruce Lee. The characters are quite huge and even fairly detailed as well as some of them fill up nearly a quarter of the screen but of course, they are also very stiff looking in the process so there's a trade off. Another problem with this game is the constant looping music which doesn't even change when you enter a new set of levels.

China Warrior was only created to show off the Turbo Grafx-16 graphical abilities, because the game play is laughable when compared to a real fighting game. This game can be easy if you memeorize the patterns. It's really a test of reflexes.......and that is when it ceases to be a fun game.

Dragon Spirit

Here is another shooter on the Turbo but features a young prince who transforms into a fire breathing dragon. In the game you must save a princess from a evil army of demons across 8 deadly levels. Like Namco's classic shoot'em up Xevious, enemies attack from both the sky and the ground.

Dragon Spirit is not one of the best shooters on the system thanks to some bland graphics but the list of power ups and attacks is not too bad. Still pretty crappy thinking back.

New Adventure Island

The plot does not deviate much from most other Adventure Island games. While Master Higgins and Tina are leaving the church after getting married (Presumably after the events of Super Adventure Island), a shadowy figure called Baron Bronsky and 6 of his underlings kidnap Tina and 6 island children.

The player's job is to guide Master Higgins through 6 worlds with 4 levels each (The last being a slightly smaller level with a boss) to rescue the children, and then finally defeat Baron Bronsky in his fortress to rescue Tina.

It is a lot like the NES and SNES versions, with the similar levels and characters. A simple fun game. Check it out on the Wii virtual console or ROMs online.

Sonic Spike Volleyball

This game is so mediocre I can't even find decent pictures to describe it. It is volleyball game with anime style characters. Some hotties in bikinis play as well as some goofy dudes. You can pick countries and that pretty much wraps it up. Awkward controls and monotonous gameplay make this a bargain bin game. I got this in my basket on Easter.......I would rather have got some "Peeps" and another copy of "The Killing Joke."

Bonk's Adventure

Bonk is a very fun action game featuring everyone's favorite head-butting caveman who is trying to save Princess Za and her homeland. Bonk must fight his way through your typical video game stages like ice worlds and underwater levels but then the game throws in a few strange challenges at you like going inside a giant dinosaur itself.

The only real problem with I have with Bonk's Adventure is that it was far too easy and it only comes with only 5 levels. Sure, it's a great game for the kids and the casual player but the pro gamers will be done with this game in a few days or even hours, no problem. Try putting the turbo swith up to flip spin across the level. You can pretty much fly with this technique and avoid most damage. Check it out on the Wii virtual console or ROMs online.

Blazing Lazers

Called "Gunhead" in Japan, this is my favorite shooter of all time. Even more than "U.N. Squadron" for SNES and "Gigawing" for Dreamcast. Check all three out if you don't know.

In this famous vertical scrolling shooter it's your mission here to pilot the 80 ton Gunhed Star fighter and go up against the Dark Squadron army lead by the mysterious enemy known as the Master Computer. This game is loaded with firepower and 9 huge levels. Not a very difficult game but provides enough challenge and variation with weapons to make the replay value very high. Blazing Lazers comes very recommended. Check it out on the Wii virtual console or ROMs online.

The Turbo Grafx 16 had a short run and died sooner than it should have. High prices, lack of games, no advertising, and very little domestic support are all reasons for it's demise.

Just like during its initial launch the TG-16/PC-Engine killed the Genesis/Mega Drive overseas in Japan. It would take that same favoritism to the very end.

It's CD games edured until 1995 in the U.K. and Japan in small cult success due to rare, fan popular games such as "Fighting Street" (aka Street Fighter), "Y's: I, II, and III" and "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood."

The system by the sales figures alone was a failure......but, you can't deny that it had a small impact on the video games we play and enjoy today.

I also owned a TG-16. I had Keith Courage, R-Type, Bonk's Adventure, TV Sports Football and TV Sports Baseball. It really sucked only having one controller. When my friend came we would trade off. In baseball he would pitch and I would bat, and on football I would play offense and he would be the defense. LOL!!!!

I actually never got to play the pc engine/ tg 16 until recently when I bought it from Ebay. At the time the system came out I was playing the nes. When it comes to old school systems I prefer the neo geo.

Great article. I never owned a TG16 myself (I was a Genesis guy) but whenever I was in a Toys R Us I'd go straight for the TG16 to try out the latest games for it. I enjoyed the Bonk games and Splatterhouse the most with New Adventure Island and R-Type being favorites as well. The system was definitely a shooting fan's dream.

Yes, though the TurboGrafix was ahead of its time with the HU Cards (why do you think the DS now has those SD Cards?), I feel the pricing, low-marketing and limited games was what did the system in.

I do recall the Turbo Express, and wanting one, until--as you indicated--the battery life blew--and they never offered a rechargeable unit for the system, though there was an optional AC Cord you could purchase. Another problem it faced (like the Game Gear) was screen-burn, meaning if you paused it for too long, the image would be literally burned on the LCD Screen.

Ironically, it was a shame the Turbo CD never really took off, because, in reality, it possessed far better game titles than the SEGA CD or (at the time of its release) the Sony Playstation. Simply due to the fact not all of its title mechanics were 'Dragon's Lair' based, and you could genuinely play the games more in-depth.

Overall, loved the article, brought back a lot of memories. I usually went over to our local Toys R Us and played the TurboGrafix unit over there. Mainly it was Splatterhouse (before ESRB came out), Pac-Land and Air Zonk.

One of my friends was the guy that had the TG-16. The system was, at the time, cutting edge. The graphics alone were beautiful. We thought him to be a VERY lucky boy, my friend with the TG-16. Lucky, that is, until we got so sick of playing Bonk, that we reverted back to the NES, or Genesis, or SNES, depending on whose house we were at. I think, because of Nintendo Power and other publications, we just never heard much about the system. In reading this article I was suprised to see so many titles in its library. Great article, thanks for the heads-up.

Very fun and complete article, Rip. To me Bonk could have been the Mario of TG16 if he only had more complex games and maybe a tie-in cartoon or fruit snack. Also, what about Splatterhouse? That was the main draw for me with the TG16, Bloooooood! I remember the ads in the Marvel comics from like 90-91 always had a mini adventure comic explaining the origin of the guy in the Splatterhouse game. Rock on!